Project Homewrecker, our 1972 Corvette, is nearing the finish line in its restoration/rebuild.  My friend Tom Keiling and I were working on it Friday and have been knocking off items on its "to-do" list. It won't be long until I'm terrorizing the streets in it in earnest.

Before we got to this point, however, we installed the Shoestring Stroker 383 at Valley Performance in Belleville, N.J. We did not think it wise to install a 425-horsepower engine with a stock clutch so we did a little research and found an interesting twist: The new line of McLeod twin disc clutches. They promised race-car-line holding power, but with the kind of pedal pressure you'd find in a new car—which means light.

We went with the RXT Street Twin, which is the more heavy-duty of offerings (the RST is good for up to 800 hp, the RXT for up to 1,000). The RST was out of stock and we were promised the RXT would be every bit at civil.

It was. The pedal feel is remarkable. Lighter than a stock Corvette of the era, but with great clamping force.

Here Rob from Valley Performance utilizes a spline tool to properly align the clutch disc (generally included in the clutch kit), before installing the pressure plate. This is critical to ensure proper alignment, otherwise the transmission output shaft will not align properly causing mating issue between he transmission, bell housing and engine.